Are you experiencing slow computer performance and high memory usage lately? It’s possible that the culprit behind this issue is Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service. This built-in antivirus solution by Microsoft has been causing headaches for many users due to its high resource consumption, leading to system slowdowns and crashes. In this blog post, we will explore the reasons why Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service consumes high memory and how you can fix it to keep your PC running smoothly. So, buckle up and let’s dive into this crucial topic!
What is Microsoft Defender Antivirus?
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is a security program that helps protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It runs in the background and uses real-time protection to scan your computer for threats. When a threat is detected, Microsoft Defender Antivirus will take action to remove the threat and help keep your computer safe.
What causes high memory usage for Microsoft Defender Antivirus?
There are a few possible causes for high memory usage by Microsoft Defender Antivirus. One possibility is that real-time scanning is enabled and set to scan all files. This can cause high memory usage because every time a file is accessed, Defender must scan it for malware. Another possibility is that there are a lot of files on your system that need to be scanned. This can also lead to high memory usage as Defender scans each file one by one. The last possibility is that you have an infection on your system and Defender is working hard to clean it up. This can also lead to high memory usage as Defender tries to remove the malware from your system.
How to fix high memory usage for Microsoft Defender Antivirus
If you are experiencing high memory usage from Microsoft Defender Antivirus, there are several things you can do to fix the issue.
First, try disabling real-time protection and see if that helps. If it does, you can re-enable it and add an exclusion for the program that was causing the issue.
If disabling real-time protection doesn’t help, or you can’t find the program that is causing the issue, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
You can also try resetting Microsoft Defender Antivirus to its default settings. To do this, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection settings. Under “Security processor,” click “Reset now.”
If you’re still having issues with high memory usage, you can contact Microsoft support for more help.
Conclusion
Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service can be a great tool for protecting your computer from viruses and malware. However, it can also be a resource hog if it is not correctly configured. In this article, we’ve taken a look at why the service might be using too much memory and potential solutions you can try to reduce its usage. By following these steps and keeping an eye on how your system resources are being used, you should have no issues with high memory usage while running the Microsoft Defender Antivirus Service.